Hard Bargain
by frozenpixie
Summary: Nnoitra kidnaps the child Nel and tries to revert her back to her true form to prove his superiority over her. Grimmjow has his own plans. DARK THEMES, VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, CHARACTER DEATH, Nnoi/Nel torture and and Grimm/Nel fluff.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning, this fic includes violence, torture, character death, references to non-consensual sex, the works, so if you are not a twisted individual who enjoys this kind of stuff, I strongly suggest you give this a miss and go read some of my nice fluffy stuff. I have no idea where this came from, except my love of Nnoitra and my wish for some more Nnoitra/Nel action. It does get more fluffy towards the end though, because I can't seem to help myself. Update: Yeah, IT ENDS HAPPILY! Well, possibly. make up your own mind...**

**This fic takes place in a slightly AU world where Nnoitra leaves with Nel before Kenpachi arrives.**

The fight was over. Ichigo was wrecked, unable to move, only able to watch as Nnoitra slung his weapon back over his shoulder and sauntered over to where the frightened child lay. Grabbing the prone form of the little girl, her round eyes tear-filled, her weak body trembling, Nnoitra flashed one last look of gloating triumph at Ichigo, wounded and powerless to prevent it, and flew from the area, Neliel under his arm, to the palace. It was too late for Ichigo to do anything, Orihime was too busy trying to heal Ichigo's many wounds to be able to react, as if she could touch him anyway, and Kenpachi arrived just those precious few seconds too late. Neliel was gone, at the mercy of her old rival, and god only knew what horrors he had planned for the innocent child whose adult form he had so resented.

-

"Change," he demanded of the trembling child, rigged up in chains against one wall of the dark stone room. Nel's eyes were streaming with tears, her body pressed against the wall, as far away from the sneering espada as possibly.

"N-Nel-" she began timidly.

"Quit referring to yourself in the third person and freaking change, bitch," Nnoitra yelled, little flecks of spittle flying from between his tombstone teeth. He looked quite deranged. "I know you can, I've seen it, so if you won't do it willingly I'll just have to force you."

"Nel doesn't know," Nel wailed. "She doesn't understand. Nel wants Itsygo." Nnoitra let out a roar or frustration, and slammed his fists either side of the little child's head, but all he received for his efforts were broken sobs of "Itsygo." Finally, he left the room in a foul mood, stalking towards the main part of the palace, pissed-off reiatsu streaming off him.

"Side project not going too well, Nnoitra?" a sarcastic voice jibed from his left. He jerked his head round angrily to see Grimmjow lolling in an alcove, trademark irritating smirk in place.

"Fuck off, Grimmjow," he spat at the sixth espada. Grimmjow just kept on smiling.

"I'd give up on it if I were you, Nnoitra," he warned, still grinning his smug grin. "Aizen-sama is losing patience. She's just a kid. Forget it."

"I will not forget it. I want to see the look on her face when she realises she is at my mercy. This kid doesn't remember. I want to see the look in that bitch's eyes when she knows I am the strongest!" Nnoitra's own eye gleamed with a manic energy. He would not give up on this, not even after three weeks of wasted effort.

"That's what I thought," Grimmjow gave a mock-sigh, then pushed himself forwards with a single lithe flex of his well-toned muscles. "Then why don't we strike a deal?"

"What sort of deal?" Nnoitra's eye narrowed, focusing on Grimmjow, who did not flinch back as almost every other arrancar in the place would have done, even some of the espada. Grimmjow gave a mocking laugh.

"Oh, you do need my help then?" he gloated, leering towards the enraged fifth espada; anybody else would have seen that Nnoitra was ready to punch someone through the ceiling with his bare hands, but Grimmjow didn't care. He had never been one for walking on eggshells. "I so happen to be offering a trade; an hour with your prisoner, for an hour with mine." Nnoitra was too intrigued to render Grimmjow unconscious for the moment.

"You have a prisoner?" he asked grudgingly. Grimmjow somehow managed to strut without moving.

"Yup. Got myself two useless sacks of lard who just so happen to be your little Neliel's fraccion," he gloated. "Might wanna try torturing 'em to make her revert back to her old form."

"And what do you want with the snot-nosed kid?" Nnoitra asked contemptuously.

"I don't want the _kid," _Grimmjow said, voice raised with amusement. Nnoitra snorted at the insinuation.

"You pig," he spat at his fellow espada. "Wasn't that redhead bitch enough for you?" Grimmjow's leer was his answer.

"I never actually touched the woman," he admitted offhandedly, not bothering to deny that he had wanted to. "Bloody Ulquiorra wouldn't let me near her, and I only made that crack to Kuro-fucking-saki about her being hurt on the inside to piss him off and get a decent fight out of him. I'm still on the market for a bit of fun, and your Nel, if you can get her old form back, would suit me pretty well."

"You're a sick fuck, Grimmjow," Nnoitra shot, "but if you don't mind having people's seconds, then it works for me. Bring me the fraccion filth, and we'll see if we can get the bitch to cooperate."

"And you call me sick," Grimmjow taunted. "Sure, you can have the useless filth. They're no good to me. But you'd better keep your side of the bargain, or you'll have more than one hole in your head."

-

Nnoitra sighed theatrically, rubbing his temples. He had had enough of the sound of screaming to last him a lifetime, even if some of it was _her _screaming, something he hoped he would never tire of. The fraccion were proving hard to crack, and Nel, whilst she was distraught, was still resolutely childlike.

"I tire of this," he said harshly. "Grimmjow doesn't care how many pieces I send 'em back in, you know, Neliel. I might just take him up on his offer and send 'em back as bitesize snacks at this rate."

"Hurt Nel instead," Nel screamed for the umpteenth time. "Don't hurt my brudders." Snot was running copiously from her nose, staining her sacklike garment. Nnoitra surveyed her in disgust.

"I'd rather not touch you," he said disdainfully. "But I'll make it easy for you. I'm tired of games. It's time for the kill." He raised his large, curved weapon, chain rattling, and placed it under the chin of the lumpy fraccion with the spots. "Five, four, three, two..." He lingered on the numeral as Nel's eyes went round with panic, then thrust his weapon upwards.

"One!"

Nel's scream of horror as the hot blood burst from the lifeless body of her lifelong friend and splattered across her tear-streaked face was loud and tragic enough to rip the sky apart. It certainly had Nnoitra covering his ears, his face screwed up to dim the impact of the rending sound even as he laughed. The scream was certainly powerful enough to cause a simple shift in forms, and a puff of pink smoke made Nnoitra laugh all the louder, a wild, crazy sound, chilling and terrifying. As it and the smoke faded, two soft, gentle words hung in the air, heady with released tension.

"You bastard." Nnoitra looked into the amber eyes of the woman crouching before him.

"Welcome home, Neliel."

-


	2. Chapter 2

**Hehe, I hope I got the characterisation ok and it isn't too repetitive. There's a little twist at the end of the chapter... Please review with your thoughts.**

"You BASTARD!" This time it was a shriek, layered with pain and that sweet nectar, guilt.

"Come, Neliel, I gave you every chance to behave reasonably. I didn't want to have to resort to this."

"You liar," Neliel whispered, her head hanging low. "You would do anything to hurt me. You are beyond low, Nnoitra." Nnoitra's expression of glee did not change. He was drenched in the blood of the lowly fraccion, and the skinny one in the loincloth was in a bleeding heap at his feet, barely stirring. He inhaled the scent of fear and despair deeply, savouring it.

"It's your fault," he said lightly. "You know, Neliel, if you had only acknowledged my superiority all those years ago I would never have had to resort to such measures. I'll tell you what, I'll let the other maggot crawl free if you submit to me, and admit that I am stronger than you."

Nel's eyes burned with pain and humiliation, her pride vying with her desire to protect her dear friend. Nnoitra drank in her agony for a few moments, then took a handful of her tumbled sea-green hair in his slim, long-fingered hand. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. Nel gave a small shudder.

"Think about it," he murmured, and swept from the room, an aura of utmost triumph wreathing his rangy body, dragging the fraccion filth by the hair from the cell. He left the corpse of the other one for Nel to take a good, long look at. He would get one of the minions to clean it up later.

"I take it you were successful," Grimmjow remarked dryly, peeling himself out of the shadows and falling into step next to Nnoitra. Nnoitra's reiatsu said it all. "When do I get my hour?" he demanded. Nnoitra scowled.

"I said you could have my leavings, Grimmjow, and I'm only just getting started. Go ride Loly or Menoly if you're that desperate."

"I prefer my meat fresh," Grimmjow complained.

"Eat it," Nnoitra replied carelessly. "She'll submit to me before I'm letting you so much as look at her. The pleasure's wasted if someone else breaks her first. I'll have that arrogant bitch crawling at my feet within days. Don't worry, Grimmjow, you won't have to wait long." Grimmjow had already tuned out.

"Whatever, does that mean you're going to fuck her, too?" Nnoitra gave the sixth espada a disgusted glare.

"Not everyone is on your level, Grimmjow. I don't need to fuck her to show her I'm better than her. I have other methods." Grimmjow surveyed him critically.

"I always wondered if you were a faggot," he mused. "Now I know for sure. She may be a stuck up bitch, but did you get a look at those jugs? You're out of your mind, Nnoitra."

"And you are debauched," Nnoitra hissed back, angry patched of colour appearing on his high cheekbones. "And entirely uncreative. By the time I'm done with her she'll be begging for something as tame as what you have in store for her. If there's enough left of her to still beg, of course." Something flashed in Grimmjow's eyes, and he turned carelessly down a side corridor, leaving Nnoitra alone. Had it been lust, jealousy, disbelief? Or had it been something akin to... anger?

-

"Morning, Neliel," Nnoitra said, lounging on a bunk opposite where she was chained to the wall in a permanent crouch. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face and bedraggled garment were streaked with dirt and dried tears. Her hair was a matted mess. "How are you today?"

"What do you want, Nnoitra?" her voice was tired and defeated.

"Is that all you have for me? Have I broken you already, Neliel? I expected a little more spirit from the girl who thought she was so much better than me that I was a mere animal in comparison. Well now you're the animal, chained and dirty, at my command. How does it feel, Neliel?"

"There is an animal in this room. But it still isn't me."

"Still so proud? I have you at my mercy, Neliel. You might want to try and be a bit more respectful."

"You don't deserve my respect."

"No? I always thought that it was the one who won who deserved respect, but maybe an ignorant brat like you can't understand something like that."

"You are the one who will never understand, Nnoitra." Nel flinched and let out a small whimper as Nnoitra's hand smashed into the side of her face with a force which sent her flying, then jerked her back down to the ground as the chains reached the limit of their length. She lay in the cold floor, gasping at the pain in her head and side. Her arm was most likely shattered by the impact, and at least two of her ribs. Through her half-closed eyes she saw one of Nnoitra's pointed boots hovering inched from her face.

"Stop contradicting me," he said calmly. "There is no way you can hope to defy me."

"I-I do defy you," Nel whispered through her aching jaw. The foot came crashing down, and Nel felt her own hot blood coursing down her cheek, filling her mouth. Then rough arms grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. Nnoitra's cruel, leering face was inched from her own.

"Say that again," he said dangerously. Nel spat a mouthful of blood at him. He flinched back, then grinned, and put one pale finger to his cheek, examining the scarlet liquid before extending his long, tattooed tongue and licking the digit slowly, his lips closing around the end before it slid out, clean and wet. He showed it to her, her eyes a little wide in surprise at the sick display.

"I love the taste of an enemy's blood," he grinned at her. "Blood is power, and your blood belongs to me." Nel said nothing; she knew she would be wasting her breath reasoning with him, and her jaw was throbbing painfully from his blows. Nnoitra examined her in silence for a few moments, before releasing her from his one-handed grip and allowing her to slide slowly down to the floor as her legs buckled.

"I always hated you, Neliel, with your holier-than-thou attitude, your stupid, pointless morals, your pathetic assumption that you were better than everyone else because of that stupid tattoo on your back. It didn't matter that I could kill faster and better and more than you, you always looked down on me, you always managed to get the better of me. Now I finally have you in your rightful place, and still you look down on me with your fucking superior expression. Why don't you just admit it: you might have beaten me back in the day, but in the end it was I who conquered you."

Nel's lips pulled up slightly in a weak, mocking smile.

"You don't get it, Nnoitra," she said, her voice weak, but gentle and sad, almost apologetic to her torturer. "You will never understand what it is to be better than somebody. You don't have the capacity to understand that you can capture and subdue a body, but that a spirit can still walk free."

"You think your spirirt is free?" Nnoitra laughed cruelly. "I can break your spirit, too, Neliel. Wasn't it enough to have the blood of that fraccion splattered across your skin?" He enjoyed the flinch in Nel's eyes. "And the blood of your pathetic shinigami boyfriend stains the steps of Los Noches, too, Neliel, on your account. You see, Aizen-sama didn't like me interfering with you, thought it would mess up his plans having a bunch of morons storming the fortress on your account, so he went out himself and stuck his sword straight through that orange-haired brat when he came to rescue you."

"No – you're lying," Nel said, her voice trembling, her last pillar of hope crumbling.

"He didn't even get the chance to draw that oversized zanpakuto of his before he got skewered," Nnoitra gloated. "Even his retarded hollw mask couldn't help him. Aizen-sama put his fist right through it, and smashed his stupid skull."

"I-I don't believe you."

"Do you really want proof?" Nnoitra asked. "If so..." he brought out of one of his deep pockets a broken shard of Ichigo's hollow mask, which he had torn from the boy's face as they fought. Ichigo was not dead at all, but he was an excellent liar, and he watched as Nel's eyes recognised his deceptions as truth. He watched her heart break as he twirled the fragment in his fingers, before tossing it onto the ground. His foot came down, and he broke the mask in two. Nel flinched.

"So I'm stronger than Ichigo, I'm stronger than you, and I am stronger than any other arrancar in this place. Say it, Neliel, and I'll let you rot in peace. I am the strongest."

"You are a monster." Nnoitra scowled.

"A monster is weak, a useless, hideous waste. I am powerful. I have left nobody undefeated. I have no mercy, no weakness. I am not a monster. I have justice on my side. I am a god of death, much more than your pathetic shinigami. I am the master."

"You are nothing."

"What have you got left in you which allows you to judge me, Neliel, huh?" Nnoitra aimed a vicious kick at her ribs, and she let out a soft scream as it hit her broken body. "You are the one who is nothing. Don't make me lower myself to Grimmjow's levels and make me prove my dominance over you by sticking my cock down your throat. It really wouldn't give me nearly as much pleasure as just hearing you say it."

"You will never make me say it by force, Nnoitra. You are a fool if you think for one moment – aagh!" Nnoitra had grabbed a fistful of her hair and bent her over backwards, forcing her head back, making her spine bend until she thought it would snap. She felt his knee pressing into the small of her back, causing unbearable pressure on her spine.

"Really?" he asked tauntingly. "Call me master."

"N-nevaugggRGHHH!" Nnoitra pushed his knee in a little further, and felt hot tears spilling from her eyes onto his wrist.

"Say it and I'll let you go. Just one word."

"I WON'T!" The words were forced out in a single tortured gasp. He watched the agony spasm across her face, and noticed a bubble of blood forming at the corner of her mouth; her broken ribs were pushing against her lungs. He doubted she would be able to speak again if he pushed her further. Letting her go in a swift movement, he punched her in the stomach. She coughed and sputtered as her breath returned, gasping and wheezing on all fours.

"I wish I could say I admired your spirit, Neliel, but you are just proving my point. You do not have the intelligence to see when you are defeated. Just say that one word, and I will let you die in peace." Nel looked up at him through pained, angry eyes. Her lips were clamped firmly together and her body trembled. Silence ruled for a long minute, before Nnoitra finally hissed in annoyance and swept from the room.

"Giving you trouble?" a familiar voice asked.

"Are you stalking me now, Grimmjow? Need me to kick your ass again?"

"Naw, once was enough for me. It's my turn to kick yours. You're not being very bright, though, Nnoitra. Don't you know our Nel at all?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, people think I'm the one who's all muscle and dick, no brain. You really are thick, Nnoitra. She's proud. You can torture her until she snaps in half, and she still wouldn't let you think you had beaten her."

"Have you been eavesdropping?" Nnoitra rounded on Grimmjow in fury. The blue-haired espada looked unperturbed, and Nnoitra gave up trying to intimidate him. "Why do you fucking care anyway?" he shot bitterly.

"Cos I'm bored with your futile efforts, and I want my turn with your plaything. Give me my hour, and I guarantee she'll be as pliable as putty."

"Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Where's your brain, fuckface? She's smart, she'll listen to reason. And I can reason ten times better to you even if I'm strapped to a table being whipped by demons."

"I can test that if you like," Nnoitra offered sarcastically. Grimmjow laughed manically.

"I knew you were bent for me," he jeered. "That's why you won't fuck your little prisoner. Seriously, I'll give her what she wants, she'll give you what you want and in the process I'll get what I want. Everyone wins." Nnoitra growled, a frustrated sound deep in his throat.

"She better be alive when you're done. If you're wrong, I'll beat you to such a pulp your own bitch mother wouldn't recognise you, if she hadn't deserted you like the runt you were the minute she squeezed you out, that is." Grimmjow ignored the insults.

"Done and done," he said jauntily. "Leave it to me."

-

Nel did not bother raising her head as her cell door swung open. The sight of Nnoitra lording it over her made her sick to her stomach, and she was in too much pain to bother in any case. Her attention was only caught as large, warm, _gentle _hands cupped either side of her bruised face, and a low, masculine voice, deeper and more gravelly than Nnoitra's, spoke low in her ear.

"How much did he hurt you?" Her eyes moved to find two intense blue ones. His voice was not gentle exactly, but she could detect concern for her below the slight roughness.

"G-Grimmjow?" she asked shakily. He gave her a small grin, not ferocious or mocking, but maybe of satisfaction at being recognised.

"Neliel," he said. "I'm here to help you get out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hmm, well I like it. I'd like to know what everyone else thinks. Probably one more chapter to go.**

"I've come to get you out of this shithole," Grimmjow repeated when Nel did not immediately react. She raised her head, her expression weary and sceptical. Grimmjow saw the mess she was in and swore softly to himself.

"Is this another one of Nnoitra's twisted plans?" she asked bitingly. "Tell him that I'm not interested. I don't care if I die anymore."

"I'm not working for that dick," Grimmjow said, deeply offended at the very idea. "I'm a free agent."

"Why would you help me, Grimmjow?" Nel asked. Her voice was flat and emotionless, slightly cracked from the long, poisoned hours spent screaming.

"I've got a couple of reasons," he said airily. Nel's eyes narrowed, and he relented. "Ok, I'll tell you if you promise not to ruin my badass reputation. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care what Nnoitra gets up to, I let people get beat up every day, hell, I beat people up every day. I'm partly doing this just to get under that fucker's skin. But I'm not too happy about beating up chicks or kids, and you're both. It wasn't a fair match. If he wants to kill you, then good for him, but he should do it in a fair fight."

Nel laughed, a slightly hoarse, broken sound.

"What's in it for you?" she asked, too shrewd to swallow his noble spiel entirely.

"Well, before I say, I want you to appreciate the fact that I could have just come in here and slammed you against the wall and nobody would have given a shit," he said roughly, hiding his embarrassment.

"You want to fuck me." Nel's voice came out blunt and flat, and Grimmjow winced a little at the curse word coming from her chapped lips.

"I guess you could put it that way," he admitted. "But I don't force what I can get willingly. Think about it. Your freedom, being reinstated as an espada, getting to grind that bastard Nnoitra into the earth, and this is all I'm asking."

"I'm not a whore."

"I'm not asking you to be one, woman. I won't be paying you. Am I really that repulsive to you?"

"You are violent. I detest violence."

"Your precious Kurosaki is violent. I've fought him, I can tell he enjoys it, the clash of swords, the feeling of sinking metal into flesh." Grimmjow's voice verged on a taunt, but Nel remained stoic.

"Ichigo fights to protect what he loves, not for pleasure."

"That's what he says," Grimmjow smirked.

"It is true. He's not a killer."

"But he's killed. And I don't see him swooping in to rescue you." Grimmjow saw Nel flinch, and changed tack, knowing he'd hit base.

"C'mon, at least I fight fair, which is more than can be said for Nnoitra. I'm not going to treat you like scum, I'm just giving you a choice, and it seems to me that for all your airs you're still and arrancar, and you still have a decent brain. I'm not asking twice. I figure if you refuse you have nobody to blame but yourself for whatever that sicko decides to do next." There were a few moments of silence, before Nel's eyes crept up to look into Grimmjow's. She read sincerity there as well as a little bit of hostility and frustration, possibly even humilitation. It didn't quite make sense, why he would help her, but she didn't think he was lying.

"All right," she agreed. "Let's go."

"Wait a moment first." Grimmjow was getting a small bottle out of his pocket. "You're in no condition to go anywhere just yet. I may suck at healing, but this ointment will pretty much fix most things except severed limbs. Where're you hurt?"

He was surprisingly gentle as he smoothed the ointment into Nel's worse wounds, and she found herself leaning into his touches as the rough pad of his thumb smoothed over her bruised jaw. The ointment felt both cool and warm, and vanished the pain in seconds. Just minutes later she felt her strength returning, and was able to drink the cool water Grimmjow held to her lips and even swallow a few mouthfuls of food.

"Better?" he asked. She nodded.

"All right, let's hot foot it outta here," he said.

"Do you have a plan?" Nel asked.

"Uhuh," Grimmjow nodded. "Leg it and run like hell. The rest can wait. I figure you'll come up with a better plan than I could."

"It'll do for now," Nel reasoned. Grimmjow flashed her a wide grin and grabbed her hand, dragging her from the cell. She stumbled a little as her disused muscles creaked into gear, but worked through the discomfort and picked up the pace, Grimmjow leading her to where she assumed there was an exit.

Barely inches from the doorway, they both ducked reflexively as a powerful cero crashed into the wall above their heads.

"What the fuck, Grimmjow, do you take me for?" spat Nnoitra, already in his release form and advancing on the couple. "I admit I have no clue what you think you're doing, but did you really think I wouldn't keep tabs on you? You're not even masking your reiatsu, you moron."

To Nel's surprise, Grimmjow grinned, a wide, feral, eager grin.

"Why would I do that? There's never a better time to fight than here and now, so if you wanna go, I'm game. Bring it."

"You mean you bothered to help her escape and now you're going to sit around waiting for her to be recaptured while you fight me?" Nnoitra's voice was incredulous.

"I doubt it'll take that long to kick your ass, besides, Nel's a big girl. She can hold her own, right, woman?" Nel nodded determinedly.

"I will defend myself," she acknowledged.

"You've gotta be kidding. She's dead on her feet."

"Naw. You know Szayel? You may have fucked him into helping you out last time, but you're not the only man he fancied a bit of. I got this ointment off of him for a fairly small price, so your little plaything ought to be fit as a fiddle." Grimmjow noticed the fear flash in Nnoitra's eyes, and his smile widened. "What's the matter, Nnoitra? Can you only fight when the odds are two against one in your favour?" Nnoitra scowled.

"Fuck you. I don't need help to finish you, Grimmjow. When Aizen finds out he'll rip your throat out. Or if I'm lucky, he'll let me do it."

"You're a moron, Nnoitra. Do you really think he doesn't already know? Nobody's come to find us. She was your project, not Aizen-sama's. Why should he care if she escapes? You know what, Nnoitra? I bet you Aizen-sama is thinking exactly what I'm thinking. There's no use for a number five who can't outthink or outfight the sexta. And there's a little girl standing right behind me who's just perfect to step into your stupid pointed shoes once I kill you."

"You think he'll let _that _take my place?" Nnoitra sounded revolted at the idea. "Screw that. I'll prove to you that I'm strong enough to smash you into oblivion, and the bitch, too. I bet she won't even fight back."

"You're wrong, Nnoitra." Nel's gentle voice spoke quietly, and both men turned. "I never fought you to the death because I never had a reason to fight you. Now, you have murdered my friends, tortured me, and you're standing in my way. I will defeat you to take your place. This is a reason to fight. For justice, and for survival." Nel's face was determined and blazing with a ferocious emotion he did not recognise, and Nnoitra felt real fear for the first time in a very long time.

"Enough talking. Die, you fuckers!" Nnoitra raised his weapon, and Grimmjow stepped up, anticipating his kill, but Nel stepped in front of him.

"This is my fight now, Grimmjow." He looked annoyed at her words.

"I have as much reason to kill him as you do."

"If I want to take his place, I want to be the one to defeat him."

Grimmjow considered the logic of this. "One condition. I get to fight you later. I've always wanted to see what you've got."

"I will look forward to it," Nel said seriously, and Grimmjow punched the air.

"All right! Go kick his ass. I'll get front row seats."

The fight was not particularly long, despite Nel's recent imprisonment. The ointment must have had some serious strength, because she felt the power thrumming through her veins and knew that she could release without the fear of relapsing into her child form. Szayel may be insane, but he knew how to get results when it came to science. Nnoitra's fear and anger gave his reiatsu an extra boost, and Nel found herself on the defensive, but none of his attacks connected, and her easy blocks made Nnoitra's attacks more frenzied, and he began to tire, to panic, to leave openings for the swift centaur to exploit. Her weapons easily pierced his thick skin.

Within ten minutes he was panting and bleeding from several deep wounds, clearly unable to continue. Nel was still unharmed, her breathing steady, and she stood over his injured form.

"Last time I said I would not kill you, Nnoitra. I will stand by my principles. I will not kill somebody defenceless. I rob you of your pride and your rank. I will not take your life."

"How... dare you," Nnoitra hissed, grimacing through the pain. He was too weakened to attack her again, and he knew he could not win. "You... bitch, just kill me, don't... humiliate me... by leaving me alive."

"This is not about your honour," Nel said softly.

"You... damn bitch. This is... why I hate... you. So... superior." He slumped against the wall, weapon clanging against the ground as his arm fell to his side. Nel turned away, sighing sadly and resuming her normal form. In a flash, Nnoitra tried to rise and strike her as she was off-guard, but was prevented by the fist protruding from his chest. He looked down slowly, and then around at the vengeful blue-haired fiend behind him.

"She may be all merciful," he grinned. "But I'm not. See you in hell, Nnoitra." He ripped his fist out, and the corpse of the previous fifth espada dropped to the ground. Nel looked across at him.

"I thought you might do that," she said.

"You would be dead if I hadn't," Grimmjow pointed out.

"I was not complaining," Nel responded, the smallest of smiles on her face even though her eyes were heavy with grief. Grimmjow stepped over the ragged corpse and took her face in his hands, brushing the hair from her forehead. She closed her eyes to his touch in a way that told him he already had what he wanted for the taking.

"Good," he said, and pressed his lips against hers in a hot, bruising kiss. The little gasps and moans she made drove him wild, and he pushed her against the wall, hitching her leg around his waist, pressing into her with a low groan, echoed by her own higher-pitched moan. He felt like the king of the world, his enemy defeated, his blood singing and this incredibly sexy woman sighing in pleasure underneath him.

"I'd save it for later, Grimmjow, if there is one." A cold voice spoke from behind them, and Halibel stepped lightly over Nnoitra's body, facing the embracing couple. "Aizen-sama wants to see you both. Now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hah, yea, I'm not sure what I think of this ending. Read my comments at the end and tell me what you think. **

Grimmjow wondered if he should hold Nel's hand as they made their way with a grim-faced Halibel to Aizen-sama's rooms. A large part of him wanted to, but if somebody was going to die in there he didn't want it to be him, and if the worst came to it he wouldn't hesitate to let Nel take the brunt of the shinigami's wrath. Holding her hand would probably give the wrong impression. Then again, maybe if he stood up to Aizen-sama and put his case well then he would get what he wanted. Besides, he really did want to hold her hand.

Nel looked at him in surprise, and gave him a brave smile as his large hand wrapped around her own slim fingers. He squeezed them gently, but did not smile.

"Are we going to die?" she asked him softly.

"Probably," he replied, knowing that she was smart enough not to believe anything else he might have said to comfort her.

"Then I am glad that I am going to die by your side, Grimmjow." Nel's stubborn voice gave Grimmjow a small bubble of happiness in the middle of the sea of turmoil and, dare he say it, fear, but it wasn't enough to dim his resolve to walk out of that room alive. He did not want to die. He wasn't the sort of pathetic fuck who would die by the side of the one he loved. Sure it would have been great if he and Nel could have had long years ahead in which to fight and screw and all that shit, but if it came to it, he would chose life over dying at her side. He was an espada. He did not love, he just wanted. And more than anything, he wanted to live.

"'S better than dying alone," he replied gruffly. "But we're not going down without a fight."

They reached the doors, and Halibel and her fraccion, who had been following behind her like a group of cheerleaders around their captain, seemed to melt into the walls. Nel and Grimmjow walked in alone to the vision of Aizen sitting in his throne, clad as usual in white, ridiculous quiff in place, and a cup of tea in his hands. Grimmjow felt his metaphorical hackles raise. How he despised this man.

"Grimmjow, welcome," Aizen greeted with what to all the world looked like a warm, genuine smile. "And I see you have brought your new toy. What have I told you about squabbling with your brothers over toys?" His light, teasing scolding sent shivers down Grimmjow's spine.

"Nnoitra was a weakling. He didn't deserve to live any longer," Grimmjow dismissed, his tone aggressive, daring Aizen to disagree. His answer was a tinkly little laugh which made him want to throw things.

"But seeing as he was my toy, that would be for me to decide, wouldn't you say?" Aizen mused silkily. Grimmjow did not like the inference that he too, by extension, was Aizen's toy.

"I'm sorry, Aizen-sama," he choked out, hating his inability to stand up to the shinigami. Aizen laughed again. No, he _giggled. _Ugh, that man needed a good punch in the balls, if he had any.

"Thank you, Grimmjow," he said patronisingly, like a father to his sulky four year old. "Now, do you have something else to tell me?" He sat back, waiting. Grimmjow hated feeling like a naughty schoolboy being given a second chance.

"I'm sorry for acting without orders, Aizen-sama, but it was for the good of the espada," Grimmjow jumbled out, trying to put his case before Aizen could interrupt or slash him to pieces. "Anyone who can kill the fifth espada should surely have a place amongst us, and Neliel defeated Nnoitra whilst weakened from imprisonment."

"Are you trying to tell me that I should give your young lady the position of fifth espada?" Aizen asked, his voice dangerously smooth and light. Grimmjow hesitated. That was pretty much exactly what he had been trying to tell Aizen, except he was going to suggest he became the fifth and Nel sixth, if his luck would push that far, but he didn't like the tone of voice.

"It was just a suggestion, Aizen-sama," he murmured angrily.

"But she just murdered one of my best espada," Aizen laughed. "Surely that makes her the enemy. And I don't suffer my enemies to live, Grimmjow. You of all people should know what I do to my enemies." Grimmjow did know. Aizen had sent him to deal with rebel scum and shinigamis on enough occasions for him to know their fate was never pretty.

"Then again, I recognise talent when I see it," Aizen went on, and Grimmjow breathed again. "And I can see that you were trying to please me, as always, Grimmjow." Grimmjow knew he was mocking him, and his fists clenched themselves automatically. "I am always ready to welcome an ex-espada back into the fold if he or she proves stronger than a current member. I'm sure you recall this, too, Grimmjow." Grimmjow dared to meet Aizen's eyes for the briefest second, and was almost floored by the crushing reiatsu behind them. What Aizen was saying was good, but his aura said that they were not going to get away so easily.

"She defeated Nnoitra, and she is loyal to you," Grimmjow pointed out aggressively. "There's no point in killing her when she can-"

"Kill her?" Aizen said, sounding highly amused. "I'm not going to kill her." Grimmjow's face mirrored his confusion and relief, and he felt Aizen's creepy smile widen. "I'm going to give you that privilege." His eyes shot up, wide and turquoise and panicked. _No, no, no, please, fuck, no, no, n-_

"I want to see that your loyalty to me outweighs every other emotion in your body, Grimmjow," Aizen said, his voice now as sharp and harsh as steel. "And if she is strong enough to have brought down Nnoitra, then you have nothing to worry about. Your lady should have no problem in staying alive. Either way, I win. The strongest of you shall gain Nnoitra's position."

"But you're an espada down," Grimmjow yelled. "You need us both."

"I've been meaning to promote Wonderweiss for a while now," Aizen said absently. Grimmjow sputtered. "Get on with it. I do not like giving orders twice." The spiritual force of his voice increased, and both Nel and Grimmjow cringed. Grimmjow looked at Nel. She looked so fragile, so beautiful, and so determined. He could tell by her expression that she would not fight him. It would be an easy fight. All he would have to do would be to push his hand through her slim, delicate torso, and-

"NO!" he roared, so loud that all three of them jumped.

"No?" Aizen repeated softly. "Would you rather I killed you both? I won't make it quick." Grimmjow ground his teeth in mental agony. Why should he care? He was made to kill. He had killed women before, and Nel was not defenceless. But she wouldn't fight back, and that changed things. Unable to find an answer, he simply glowered at his master, baring his teeth menacingly. Aizen only beamed, giving a single chuckle of amusement.

"Well I don't have any use for espada who won't fight. I'll just have to have my faithful fourth espada do it then. Although I am sure he is far too efficient to draw it out enough to sufficiently punish you both. Ah, I know... Gin, could you join me for a moment?" As if by magic, the creepy ex-taichou slunk out of the shadows to linger by Aizen's shoulder, the fox-like grin stretched, as ever, across his face.

"Sousuke?" he enquired casually. Grimmjow watched the brief flicker of anger on Aizen's face.

"How many times, Gin? It is Aizen-sama in front of our guests," he chided. Gin just carried on smiling. "Grimmjow and Neliel need to be taught a lesson about our little hierarchy, Gin. I can rely on you, can't I?"

"Of course, Aizen-sama." His voice was as oily as a vat of chip-fat, and the last syllables dripped with sarcasm. He went over to Nel, who looked sickened as he draped her hair over her shoulders, purring at her in a perverted, possessive manner. She flinched away, and addressed Aizen, looking him right in the eyes.

"I will accept just punishment from Aizen-sama," Nel spoke out for the first time, voice soft and humble, "to prove my loyalty to him. But I will not allow Ichimaru-san to touch me. My loyalty is to you, Aizen-sama." She bowed before him. Grimmjow looked stunned, but stood his ground. Aizen laughed, the sound bouncing off the high walls.

"I see you won't be necessary after all, Gin," he chuckled. "We are simply one big family after all." Gin slunk away looking disappointed. "Very well, I have faith in the both of you to carry out your roles as fifth and sixth espada with complete loyalty to me, and I commend you, Nel-chan, on your defeat of Nnoitra. I hope you'll be able to keep Grimmjow under control for me."

"Is that it?" Grimmjow asked incredulously, unable to believe the sudden U-turn.

"Of course. I don't kill those who can be of use to me, I was simply testing your loyalties. I will know if you ever need to be dealt with, but if you continue to work well under me then I am satisfied. Thank you for stopping by."

The intense reiatsu had dispersed, and Grimmjow and Nel, unsure and confused but mildly relieved, left the room, to the surprise of Halibel and her fraccion, although only the disappearance of Halibel's yellow eyebrows under her fringe betrayed her reaction, whilst her fraccion exclaimed and squabbled loudly at the reappearance of the two.

"Fuck off, you lot," Grimmjow snapped at them, causing them to squeal and disperse; he could be terrifying when he wanted, and his flashing teeth made them quail. When the corridor was empty, he turned and grinned at Nel, who was frowning lightly. "Well, that's that sorted. Would you prefer to have me here, or should we go back to my rooms?" Nel smiled slightly at this.

"I think I can wait, you're not that irresistible," she said sarcastically. Grimmjow looked offended. "But I'm not convinced that Aizen will let go so easily. I don't understand him."

"Nobody does. But as long as we still kill what he tells us to kill, and as long as Ichimaru carries on taking it up the arse, I think we should be fine," Grimmjow said carelessly. For him, it was already over and done with, and he wasn't concerned. As far as his thought process went, they had proven their strength and loyalty as espada, and that was that. Nel was a little more reticent and unwilling to believe it was that simple. There had been something about Aizen's eyes which spoke of malicious and manipulative plans, and pain saved for the future, when it had properly matured. But for now...

"In that case, I think your room would be-" she didn't have time to finish the sentence before she was in Grtimmjow's arms and being sonitoed to his room for some very thorough investigation. Hours later when their breathing had returned to normal and they had a chance to survey the shattered furniture and consider how loud they must have been, Nel spoke.

"Do you think Aizen-sama is more likely to get us assassinated if we trash this place?"

"Who gives a fuck?" Grimmjow responded lazily. "But just to be on the safe side, maybe we ought to do this in Nnoitra's old rooms next time?"

**Well it's mostly happy, but I kind of leave it up to you to decide if Aizen eventually kills them or not. I was going to have Gin torture them both to death, or have Grimmjow kill Nel, but I was feeling generous. I also couldn't be bothered to write any Nel/Grimmjow smut so their bedroom activities are implied rather than explicit. We all know what they were up to, methinks. Satisfied? Disappointed? Please tell me.**


End file.
